The Red Lipstick Map

In the Fifty Shades trilogy, Ana draws a map with red lipstick on Christian's body. The map tells her which parts are out of reach: having suffered physical abuse as a child, Christian has issues with being touched.

I find the red lipstick map a great idea, though I think that Ana is a bit insensitive when she insists to touch Christian even at the parts he feels uncomfortable with. 

Maps and cartography are found often in books. The cartographer protagonist par excellence is probably Count Almasy in The English Patient, played brilliantly by Ralph Fiennes.

Then there is the map in Treasure Island and, of course, the lovely maps of unknown lands in the beloved fantasy books: The Lord of the Rings, Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, the Dragon Star and Dragon Prince trilogies and so on and so forth into fantasy book eternity.  

Let's not forget the maps in The Odyssey: though Odysseus travels famously without a map, he is often given directions by beings and creatures he meets on his journey -- witches, goddesses, gods and others. The directions are always correct. If Odysseus deviates an iota, disaster follows.

The book which inspired me to write on maps tonight is this lovely monograph:

I love all maps, modern and historical, old and new! But my favorite map remains the Ana Steele red lipstick map. On Christian Grey's lovely body! Yes!